Another Hindu Slaughter in the making.

Afghanistan -- 20 May 2001

All Hindus and Sikhs in Afghanistan have been ordered by the fundamentalist Taliban regime to wear a yellow cloth to identify themselves and also to follow the Islamic Shariat code or face prosecution.

In a recent decree, separate dress codes have been made mandatory for Muslims and non-Muslims (Hindus and Sikhs), and the head of a Hindu and Sikh household is also required to put a two-metre yellow cloth on his house so that it stands apart. In Afghanistan Hindus and Sikhs are called as Hindus. Over the past few years, the tiny population of Hindus and Sikhs in Afghanistan have watched helplessly as their homes, businesses and places of worship have been destroyed.

According to the decree, a copy of which was made available to UNI, Hindus and Muslims cannot live in the same house. Hindus living in a Muslim household have been ordered to leave within three days, and vice versa. Any violation would invite prosecution.

Heads of Hindu places of worship have been asked to prepare a list of such places/houses where Hindus and Muslims are living together. Hindus have been barred from constructing new prayer houses or places of worship, and have been told to conduct prayers in existing ones. Places of worship once destroyed cannot be rebuilt.

Hindu men (which includes the Sikhs) have been prohibited from wearing turbans, while Hindu women have been told to wrap their body with a big yellow chaddar with two small holes near the eyes. Hindu women can go to markets but they should wear an iron necklace and their body should be wrapped in a yellow chadder. Under this decree, no Hindu in Afghanistan can keep arms.

Hindus are in an impossible situation. Whenever anything against Muslims happens in Hindusthan, temples and Hindu property are looted and burnt in Kabul, Gandhar (wrongly called Kandahar) and Jalalabad. But everything against Hindus and Sikhs happens in other countries nothing happens in Hindusthan.

The History is repeating and Hindus are still trying for peace. Hindus have forgotten and some even do not know the History. The Taliban has already destroyed the Bamiyan Buddha Statues. Many Hindus and Sikhs have already fled from Afghanistan.

Afghanistan was once having a large Hindu population. The Hindu Kush region of Eastern Afghanistan was a full part of Hindu Cradle. The mountain range was deliberately named as 'Hindu Kush' (Kush means Slaughter) by the Moslem conquerors, as a lesson to the future generations of Hindus. However Hindusthanis in general, and Hindus in particular are completely oblivious to this tragic genocide.

Even now the History is repeating in the same region and it may spill over to the neighbouring countries. Already Pakistan is a hostile country. The Jehadis are spreading terror in Hindusthan. Tomorrow the Taliban will enter the Hindusthani territory and Hindus will still keep quiet.